Vehicle brakes rely on friction to control the speed and motion of the vehicle. The friction surfaces of the brakes suffer mechanical wear and require maintenance and replacement under normal operating conditions. Vehicle brakes comprise brake pads to provide an expendable friction surface in order to effectively provide braking functions while also provide inexpensive replacement of the friction surfaces. Monitoring the physical state of the brake pads provides drivers and technicians useful information regarding whether the brake pads need replacement.
Conventional brake pads use passive wear indicators, such as metal tabs that contact a rotor when the friction surface wears away enough to allow contact and make a noise from the contact providing a notification to a driver, and do not comprise an active real-time monitoring system. A brake pad monitor providing indications of the status of a brake pad at any point within the lifespan of the brake pad may be useful for vehicle passengers and technicians to perform diagnostics or maintain the vehicle. Further, the operational capacity of an autonomous vehicle may not be directly observed by a driver, including the operational capacity of the brakes. Thus, it may be additionally advantageous to provide self-diagnostic functions and notifications of safety features, such as braking components, in autonomous vehicles that may not respond as well to traditional feedbacks provided in non-autonomous vehicles.